A suction cleaner sucks in, along with an air stream produced as an electric blower is operated, dust through a suction mouth, and then introduces the air stream thus sucked in into a dust collecting device to collect the dust. These days, for houses fitted with carpets, many suction cleaners are, at their suction mouth, provided with an agitator for raking dust off a carpet. Examples of suction cleaners provided with an agitator are disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. S61-191329 and H8-164095. An example of a device for switching whether or not to drive an agitator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-154134.
An suction cleaner provided with an agitator at its suction mouth is not necessarily fit for all types of floor. Operating an agitator on a floor laid with flooring or linoleum may damage the floor. Moreover, a suction mouth fitted with an agitator is difficult to move close to corners formed between a floor and a wall or a piece of furniture. This makes it impossible to apply a powerful suction pressure in such places.